Wednesday, April 21, 1999 Published at 12:28 GMT 13:28 UKHealthSurgeon hails snoring cureThe operation is less invasive than traditional surgeryAn operation to cure snoring is to be made widely available to the public in the UK for the first time.

The surgical procedure, known as a somnoplasty, has been clinically trialed in the UK by the ear, nose and throat consultant Mr David Morgan.

While uvolopapalatoplasty actually burns the skin of the soft palate, somnoplasty heats only the surrounding tissue and causes only minor discomfort.

However, Mr Morgan warned that surgery should only be considered as a last resort.

He said: "There are several things you can do before that. The most important thing being losing weight, the other factors that are important are stopping smoking and also stopping drinking alcohol prior to going to bed at night."

Quality of life impaired

The first patient to receive the treatment at the Nuffield Hospital will be Glen Williams.

Glen Williams has tried various treatments - including nose clips - in the past

He said: "My quality of life is impaired by my snoring.

"My wife, Dawn, says that I am impossible to ignore in bed, but for the wrong reasons.

"She used to wake me up and banish me to the spare room because my snoring was too loud, but now I wake myself up with it and just go without being asked."

Around 3.5 million people in the UK are estimated to snore, including more than one million women.

Snorers who wake themselves up with the noise sleep only an average of four hours a night.

Snorers can generate a noise of 90 decibels.

Somnoplasty is featured on Tomorrow's World, broadcast on BBC One on Wednesday 22 April. 19 00 BST.